theenbybookworm's review
adventurous
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I enjoyed the book overall. It took a good bit for me to start really getting into it. It started becoming more and more interesting right before . It started to really hook me I think about a chapter or two later (maybe 3?) from that one.
Spoiler
the “drink the milk” words popped upSpoiler
This might be super typical of me, but after reading it to its whole, “Drink the milk.” Is most definitely my favorite line in the entire book. It just helped really kickstart it for me. Side note : I liked the character at times, but the brother was totally reckless, and like all the problems basically relied on this guy not following orders and refusing to listen if im being honest.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Gore, and Violence
The reason I put this under moderate is because it was generally well-described to where I think most readers can visualize the scenarios very well, but it could definitely be a lot worse. Warning : This may not be the best for the faint-of-heart, especially if you get nightmares super easily, since there are a lot of scary mythical creatures that show up in this book.Spoiler
In case you were confused, the animal cruelty is about the fairy that got turned into an imp by Seth. I know it wasn’t on purpose, and I put it under animal only because it wasn’t human and it’s not like there was a “mythical being cruelty” option lol.spookyaz's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Listen, I ended up liking this better than I thought I would. It starts off very slowly. That being said, the characters are flat, the brother constantly acts terribly without any consequences, and the author seems to have this....weird...kinda fetishistic...fixation on East Asian women?? Also, the majority of the magical creatures are very definitively "good" or "evil" without nuance which is...honestly boring and disappointing. I love complex morally grey witches especially, and I know this is a book for younger children but you can definitely have those kinds of witches (and fantasy creatures in general) in stories written for that age range! Overall I would not recommend this book. There is plenty of better middle-grade fantasy to read out there.
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Body horror
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